Review: The Last Sinner (New Orleans, #9) by Lisa Jackson

                          

Print Length: 400 pages

Publisher: Zebra Books (June 27, 2023)

From Goodreads.com: There are killers so savage, so twisted, that they leave a mark not just on their victims, but on everyone who crosses their path. For Detectives Bentz and Montoya, Father John, a fake priest who used the sharpened beads of a rosary to strangle prostitutes, is one such monster.

Bentz thought he’d ended that horror years ago when he killed Father John deep in the swamp. But now there are chilling signs he may have been wrong. A new victim has surfaced, her ruined body staged in deliberate, unmistakable detail. Either it’s a terrifying copycat, or Father John, the detective’s own recurring nightmare, has come back to haunt New Orleans.

Another death, and another. Bentz is growing convinced that Father John isn’t just back. He’s circling closer, targeting those Bentz loves most.

And this time, he won’t be stopped until the last sinner has paid the ultimate price…

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My Rating: 2 stars out of 5

So a few months ago, I read a different novel by this author, and I had some pretty big issues with it. However, I enjoyed it just enough that I decided to give this one a shot. 

Sadly, this one, despite being part of a long-standing series, had the same issues.

To begin with, there is a lot of repetition. As someone who lost their husband and have things that I wish I had said or done differently, I should have been able to empathize with Kristy to an extent. However, I just found myself wishing the killer had gotten her instead. She consistently talks about how she doesn't want to tell anyone she's pregnant because it feels like a "betrayal" to her husband because she hadn't gotten the chance to tell him before he died. She wallows in her grief one second, doing absolutely nothing to take care of herself or the child she carries, and the next, she is devising some plan to bring her husband's killer to justice on her own. She also refuses her father's help, despite the fact that he is a trained homicide detective. I get it, you want to prove you can do it on your own, but there is a fine line between that and blatant stupidity, and sadly, she crosses it way too many times.  There is also an overabundance of characters at play here to the point that it became confusing, especially when the POV of the story would suddenly change from one person to another.  

As for the story itself? Sadly, I found it lacking as well. Instead of being glued to the pages, I found myself being able to easily set this one down and walk away to do other things. I am happy that this did not end on a cliff-hanger, as I don't think I will be reading anything more from this author. 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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                                          The Last Sinner is available on Amazon.com